At its core, the RM 65-01 is the latest in a proud line of rugged, structurally advanced chronographs from AAA perfect replica Richard Mille. In basic terms, it is an automatic, split-seconds chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers that displays the date and includes a function selector, rapid winding mechanism, and variable geometry winding rotor.

On top of that, the RM 65-01 features the brand’s now-characteristic Carbon TPT case and a movement made with extensive titanium components for lightness and rigidity. Perhaps most surprisingly, it is not a limited edition but part of the permanent collection.

This description doesn’t quite convey what is so awesome about the RM 65-01 since it does feel right in line with what Richard Mille does so well in all of its other watches. But when you dig in, it becomes clearer why those five years of development were worth it.

For me, it all begins with the variable geometry winding rotor and the rapid winding mechanism. These two elements combine to show that the Richard Mille team thought at length about the best ways to incorporate automatic winding into a split-seconds chronograph, a first for the brand.

Just adding a basic automatic mechanism wasn’t enough for the engineers and watchmakers behind the RM 65-01; no, they wanted to make sure that the movement lived up to the harsh demands of motorsports as this is intended to be a racing chronograph.

Since using the chronograph function drains a mainspring extra quickly, and the RM 65-01 uses a 5 Hz balance (more on that in a bit), this resulted in a couple key decisions. First, the power reserve has been pushed to 60 hours all while the barrel turns 20 percent faster in its rotation (6 hours per rotation vs. 7.5 hours). This helps provide higher and more consistent torque during the bulk of its power reserve.

This is crucial for a chronograph that is designed to be stable, consistent, and precise. It also helps to avoid the mainspring sticking to itself (from the slow unwinding) inside the barrel and altering the power output, a problem many may not even be aware of. If you take those changes and add in the variable geometry winding rotor, the watch becomes better at staying optimally wound.